The winning recipe: how the small-market Pelicans became legit title contenders

Even with the Pelicans having perched themselves at or near the top of the Western Conference all year, many don't seem to take them seriously as contenders. It's time for that to change

A lot has been made over the years of the raw deal offered to small-market NBA teams. The younger brothers of the league, they often get overlooked in favor of their flashier coastal franchise siblings. While I've always argued that a competent front office is the tried and true salve for this issue, as evidenced by Giannis Antetokoumpo's loyalty (and delivery of a championship) to the Milwaukee Bucks, it's verifiable that as far as national media coverage goes, smaller-name teams often don't get their due.

One such team is the New Orleans Pelicans. I mentioned in my end-of-season wrap in June that I believed the future to be decidedly bright in Louisiana. With Zion's long-awaited return to form on the court having even exceeded expectations so far, that looks to have been a sound prediction. But even with the team having perched themselves at or near the top of the Western Conference standings all year, many don't seem to take them seriously as contenders. While, yes, the team hasn't historically made much noise in the postseason, and doesn't currently boast any NBA champions on its roster, there's more than enough reason to believe that Nola won't have to wait long to bring a Larry O'Brien to Bourbon Street. And that's because of one simple fact: they already have all the ingredients that go into the recipe of a champion.